New Media Services
Posts tagged bloggers
SEO For WordPress Bloggers
Nov 8th
Below are my top five SEO tips for WordPress bloggers.
1. Install an SEO plugin on your blog - such as the powerful All-in-One Seo or the newer more robust Platinum SEO. These two take care of alot of the basic onsite search engine optimization you need on your blog posts and pages. (this mostly applies to WordPress bloggers)
2. Get Backlinks – it doesn’t matter if your blog is a day old or 3 months old, you can never start too early to hunt down for link opportunities. Start with relevant directories.
3. Link To Yourself – Well not exactly. What I mean is make sure you regularly link to other articles, pages and blog posts you’ve written. This creates a spider web effect that search engines know and rely on.
4. Install a Sitemap – Sitemaps are literally maps to the content on your blog, and Google loves them. My favorite way to add a sitemap to my blogs is with the Dagon Design sitemap plugin. Fast, easy and free.
5. Use a Related Posts Plugin – this action produces similar results as installing a sitemap. It lets Google know of the content on your site and how it relates to the overall topic of your blog.
These are basic but powerful ideas, don’t underestimate any of these tips. If you haven’t yet added or practiced these SEO tips, now is a great time.
You’ll rise to the top in no time.
Next Article!
Our next article will touch on the topic of: traffic generation.
5 Affiliate Marketing Tips For Bloggersfiv
Dec 7th
There is loads of information on the web on the topic of affiliate marketing, but if you’re a blogger, the five tips below are all you need to know to get started.
If you’re a blogger and want to know how to best use affiliate marketing on your blog, read what i’ve written below, then go practice it. If you disagree with me, feel free to comment after the article.
1. Find a good affiliate network – First you need to find a good affiliate network and not good as in popular or big, but one that suits you, your niche, and your site. You will need to spend some time doing research on this, i would point you in the direction of Shawn Collins and his affiliate tips blog for a good primer on general affiliate marketing. Then i would like you to visit the directory of affiliate programs, and find one (or two) that are in your niche. Don’t pick too many, as this will overwhelm you, like it did me. Stick with just a core few.
2. Use a relevant merchant - Once you have found a suitable affiliate network, now search for a suitable merchant within the network. Look at things like banners and links available, when do they pay, how do they pay, are they somewhat established, and don’t forget to see what sort of support system they have in place. Do they have a blog, phone number, email, forum, etc? Are they easy to reach if you have questions or problems? Find an affiliate network that works for you, then work on generating revenue.
3. Write killer (affiliate product) articles on your blog – One of the best methods to generate revenue in affiliate marketing from a blog, is to write good articles on the blog. Incorporate some affiliate products into the article, just make sure the products are RELEVANT to your readers and your niche.
4. Promote that article – After you’ve written your killer article with a few affiliate products incorporated, make sure to promote the article. Tell your blogger friends about it, submit to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Then submit the article to social bookmarking sites like Stumble Upon and Digg to garner some possible traffic and or backlinks. Also don’t underestimate the value of blog carnivals, these are fantastic for generating links back to your blog.
5. Rinse and repeat - Now do steps 1 through 4 about once a week or so. The frequency will be dictated by your posting schedule. If you post 3 times a day, then obviously you can do more. But if you post once a week, affiliate marketing articles should be less frequently. Keep a good balance, do not annoy your readers and visitors.
The most important thing to remember in affiliate marketing is that you need to have a foundation in place first. Since this article is directed at bloggers, the foundation in your case, would be your awesome blog. Establish yourself as knowledgeable in your niche. Not an expert, but knowledgeable and resourceful.
I’m not an expert by any means, but i relate my knowledge and my resources from experience. I’ve been blogging since April 2007 and have become quite savvy on the subject. i hope you have enjoyed this article and learned a thing or two.
Have Questions?
Do let me know any questions you have or general comments on the subject of affiliate marketing as it relates to bloggers.
Free Gmail Stickers From Google
Dec 5th
Google is releasing free Gmail stickers to bloggers, well really to anyone who wants them. They announced the cool freebie yesterday on the Gmail blog. Grab some before they are all gone.
To request your free set, send a postage paid envelope to:
Googleplex
P O Box 391420
Mountain View, CA 94039-1420
5 Twitter Tools You Should Be Using If You’re A Blogger
Nov 25th
Of all the social networks that exist, my fave by far is Twitter. Why? Well because i don’t have to spend my precious time adding dozens of glitter buttons (not that there is anything wrong with that) or filling out numerous quizzes or downloading a million gazillion photos.
I just update and go. Love it. It is a tool on the web like no other. I like to describe Twitter as IM on crack.
With that fine introduction to what Twitter is, below are my top picks for twitter tools you should be using if you’re a blogger.
1. Twitter Feed -This is where the RSS feed function of Twitter comes into play. I cant’ tell you how many times i’ve come across a feed tweet from a blogger that led to some interesting or useful information. Feed tweets get me all the time from a variety of bloggers. Don’t miss out on sharing a great post, use TF.
2. Twirl -This is a neat widget download that allows for the use of Twitter like an instant messenger, as opposed to having a web window open. You can send tweets, receive tweets, fave tweets, share pics, share links, (and my fave feature) you can re-tweet with Twirl. It’s free, easy, and fun. A must if you’re a blogger.
3. Tweet Later – You can do several things with this one. First you can schedule an upcoming Tweet and have it delivered at a predetermined date and time. Second you can auto follow people who follow you. And third you can send a thank you or welcome message to new followers in the form of a DM, automatically via Tweet Later. 3 very cool features. (hat tip to Sly from Slyvisions on this one) UPDATE: I no longer auto follow or send out automatic DM’s. I still think Tweet Later is good for its initial purpose though.
4. Twitter Search -The name says it all. This site allows you to search in real time for whatever topics you want more information on. You type in a search query and it searches all of Twitter for a result. Very addictive.
5. Monitter – I just found this one, but its worthy of mention. It’s like Twitter Search, in that it allows you to search. But it displays three columns worth of tweets, as opposed to one. Great for multi-taskers.
The Famous Follow
Of course one can’t write a post on Twitter, and not ask for the famous follow. So you know what comes next, right? If you’re a blogger and use Twitter, follow me here.
Want More?
Here is a link to a fantastic round up of Twitter tools. It’s a really long list, so go grab a cup of coffee before reading this one.
Not On Twitter, Yet?
If you’re not on Twitter yet and have questions on how to use it, how to add followers, what to tweet about, etc. Grab a copy of my Awesome Twitter Guide, a beginners guide to Twitter.
There are many tools and apps that expand the functionality of Twitter and or just make it more fun. Subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out on cool Twitter tools, apps and resources.
